Campaigning old timers organisation Age Concern is demanding the scrapping of the "Elderly Persons" road sign, which suggests that advanced years come at the price of a hunched back and a hobble to the shops propped up on a walking stick.
UK elderly persons road sign The offending image - introduced in 1981 - is described by …

Maybe they should change the sign to

aww..

This is shocking.

I fully sympathise with the elderly on this one. May I suggest similarly-offended readers consider a letter-writing campaign, possibly co-ordinated via the People's Friend, or perhaps the Sunday Post ?

If you aren't walking like that

and you're walking upright without aids at full walking speed, what does it matter your age is? Drivers don't have to "watch for fast-walking pensioners" so all they need is a sign saying "watch out for slow-walking pensioners" who may exist.

Or do the fully able pensioners want the less able segregated off to a safe area where their disability will not be associated with them?

Construction workers also misrepresented

So, will the 'roadworks' sign - featuring a bloke with a shovel in a pile of Tarmac(R) now be altered to show a range of activities related to the construction industry in general? Because it's SUCH a stereotypical representation of what they do, it really is misleading*.

It's just supposed to be an icon, a symbol, an easily recognisable sign. Not a full graphical representation of the actual subject!

What do they want? Full-colour photos of genuine local pensioners? Will rural areas have the various 'animal-in-road' signs replaced by photos of the specific local breeds, posing in the road?

Just a storm...

in chamberpot.

Clearly Ms. McLennan has way too much free time on her hands, and should, as pointed out, be concentrating on something important to the 'elderly', rather than trying to grab a few cheap, middle-page column inches, as this is just not headline news.

The point is...

Stereotypes

Is this sign stereotyping? Yes. Do people recognize what the stereotype is fro the image? Yes. Do people know full well that not all elderly people are anything like what this stereotypical image depicts? Yes. The problem then? Daily Mail readers who are sick of the ethnic minorities pulling this one all the time and now they want their turn: translate into: morons who have too much time on their hands and are not putting it to good use.

School ahead

I would like to complain about the 'school ahead' sign depicting two running children, it is encouraging our nation's youth to run in the road, which is dangerous.

Also, the speed limit signs in miles per hour are discriminating against those of us modern and educated enough to be thinking in kilometres per hour; how can we be expected to stick to a speed limit which requires thirty seconds of mental calculation?

Likewise, I do not like the discriminatory nature of driving laws. Under 17s have a right to use our roads like the rest of us; and the disabled. I think it's just plain wrong that a man born blind, who has no choice in the matter, is not allowed to drive a 20 tonne truck around the M25.

Finally, the 'left turn ahead' sign is belittling those of us with erectile disfunction.

Solution

Can I suggest we take all people over the age of seventy and burn them in a huge pyre? We can use the resulting energy to power the country for a while, our energy requirements will fall dramatically (old people use more heating - so Age Concern tell us) resulting in a huge drop in the price of fuel.

Our taxes can be more than halved as we stop paying for their pensions, nursing care, winter fuel allowances, NHS costs etc etc. We will free up babdly needed housing stock for first-time buyers currently priced out of the market. Supermarket queues will move twice as fast.

It's a win, win, win, win solution. There really is no need for us to listen to their shite any more.

They lived through a period of extra-ordinarily low housing and fuel costs and have come out of it with zero provisions for their own retirement - instead choosing to sponge off the current generation who are already hard pressed by massive housing costs, at least in part caused by them!

And while we're at it...

Age Concern should calm down..

.. and take its tablets. The sign means that infirm people may be about. I SAID INFIRM PEOPLE MAY BE ABOUT. It doesn't mean that all old people are infirm. Those in good health don't need any special consideration.

If you want to see a daft sign, have a look at the tram sign and work out where the tops of the wheels are.

Aren;t these signs part of an international standard anyway?

Signs for a modern era.

I think my town needs one that accurately conveys the message "Teenage girl with impossibly-tight-ponytail and pushchair laden with Greggs-scoffing offspring likely to lurch outwards in front of car in a desperate attempt to get a) into primark b) some compo c) across the street to smack that slapper Kerry coz she was looking at me well funny.

Old news

This is incredibly old news. Over 5 years ago the elderly started moaning about this. There's even an old folks home which has a selection of stupid signs including an OAP with a walking stick on a skateboard.

Sadly any hope for me finding the original story has been lost to the recent re-issuing of this tired old thing.

I hope it enjoyed it's day out. Time for it to go back to the home, I think.

grrrrrrrrrr

It was the organisation "Age Concern" that complained about this sign... how many elderly folks complained? How many of them are actually offended? I'm guessing very, very few.

It's like the numpties that don't want Christmas decorations in shopping malls in case it offends the any of the non-Christian communities. I've never yet met a Muslim/Hindu/Seikh who was even remotely offended by Chrimbo deccies... and I live in Wolverhampton.

Your not supposed to run anyone over!

@JakeyC

"Will rural areas have the various 'animal-in-road' signs replaced by photos of the specific local breeds, posing in the road?"

Hah! Giggled a little at the thought of some gerbil or similar critter on its hind legs in the road with it's little paws up and it's mouth wide open in shock. Looking like when someone lampoons the "being run over by a bus" stance.

Now THERE'S a road traffic icon I could admire!

PS Erectile dysfunction? Mine only gets down to a right angle when I'm "ready" if I weigh the little bastard down with a towel!

Missleading signs - Scrap them all

So where in a town are there NOT likely to be people that may cross a road slower than others?

More crossings and more care from drivers please. I hear a 20mph train thundering down the road safety track!

That'll be great wont it. Then we can do 20mph 24hrs a day like we already do in some areas, for schools that are...

(a) Empty through holidays (25% of year).

(b) Empty coz it's night time

(c) Not spewing kids onto the road coz they are hard at work inside!

Be honest drivers. How many times have you seen a pedestrian waiting to cross a road, in the rain, while you trickle along in slow traffic that would cost you nothing to halt for a short while. You never know, it may even lighten your mood as someone thanks you.

James Bassett...

Bias? Prejudice? Stereotype? Huh?

It's seems Lizzy McLennan is not the only one jumping the gun. Who says this said depicts anyone Age Concern should be looking out for?

The quote from the BMJ seems confused, also. How is the sign implying anything about expectations of those with advancing age?

A very quick check on Direct.gov explains the meaning as "Frail (or blind or disabled if shown) pedestrians likely to cross road ahead". No mention of old.

It may not be a great sign, but what should be used instead to alert drivers quickly that vulnerable people are likely to be crossing? Physically 'frail' and possibly blind or disabled is exactly what that sign says to me.

Re: "Slow children ahead".

Alternative

We need a sign with the silhouette of a person on one of those mobility scooters, preferably while waving a cane in the air.

Here in the States, stretches of road that are likely to have farmers driving tractors are identified by a man driving a tractor... wearing a straw hat... which I doubt many farmers wear these days. Normally that wouldn't annoy me, except that it seems like the obvious alternative would be to just have a sign with the silhouette of a tractor - I think that would get the point across... :\

Re: Marc MacAllister

It's not the ones that died for us that bother me. It's the ones who survived and won't stop moaning about what a shit-hole the country has become that piss me off. Apparantly, it's all down to the teenagers, who've only been in the country less than twenty years and have no power to change anything.

Certainly it can't possibly be their fault, what with them having lived here for eighty years and having voted for government after government....